Sizzla
Miguel Orlando Collins (born 17 April 1976), known by his stage name Sizzla Kalonji or Sizzla, is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is one of the most commercially and critically successful contemporary reggae artists and is noted for his high number of releases. As of 2018 he has released 56 solo albums. Sizzla began to develop his own style whilst serving his musical apprenticeship with the Caveman Hi-Fi sound system. He has used his music as a vehicle for his message, kickstarting his recording career in 1995 with a release through the Zagalou label, he then teamed up with "Bobby Digital" Dixon for a series of singles. Extensive touring with fellow Xterminator label mate roots and culture artist Luciano followed, earning Sizzla notoriety. Homer Harris, the same man who named and mentored Buju Banton got him his first break, introduced Sizzla to top Jamaican saxophonist Dean Fraser, the musical director for Philip "Fattis" Burrell's Xterminator Family. 1995 marked an important turning point for Sizzla when he began working with Fattis. This union led to a run of successful singles and the release of Sizzla's debut album, Burning Up.... (Read more) AllMusic said the following of him: Emerging during the latter half of the '90s, the enormously prolific Sizzla was one of the leaders of the conscious dancehall movement. Along with Buju Banton and Capleton, he helped lead dancehall back to the musical and spiritual influence of roots reggae, favoring organic productions and heavily Rastafarian subject matter. A member of the militant Bobo Ashanti sect, he sometimes courted controversy with his strict adherence to their views, particularly his aggressive condemnations of homosexuals and white Western oppressors. Yet overall, his music was generally positive, advocating faith and compassion for poor black youth, and respect for women. He remained something of an enigma to the public at large, rarely granting interviews and keeping his concert appearances to a minimum. Nonetheless, he still ranked as arguably the most popular conscious reggae artist of his time, thanks to a normally high standard of quality control - all the more impressive given the frequency with which he recorded. A versatile singjay-style vocalist with a gruff, gravelly tone, he was capable of both rapid-fire chatting and powerful, melodic singing, and his best backing riddims were among the strongest in contemporary dancehall. Links to Peel Peel played Sizzla's material from his first appearances in collaboration with other reggae artists until nearly the end of his time on radio (made easier by the sheer volume of Sizzla's output). Although he was initially very taken with some tunes, others lost their sheen fairly quickly (viz. his comments on Like Mountain, although that did not stop him playing it again). He praised the collaborative track Competition In Fear, commenting that it sounded like a football record (no doubt a feeling enhanced by the World Cup in 1998). In 2003, These Are The Days was selected for a Peel's Record Box listing. Festive Fifty Entries *None Sessions *None Other Shows Played ;1996 *23 February 1996 (with Cocoa Tea): Bruk Down (7" ) Xterminator *02 March 1996 (BFBS): 'Bruk Down (7")' (XTerminator) with Cocoa Tea ;1997 *15 April 1997: ‘No Time To Gaze (7")’ Digital-B *16 April 1997: ‘Babylon Cowboy’ (7")’ XTerminator *06 May 1997: 'Babylon Cowboy (7")' (XTerminator) *13 May 1997: 'Babylon Cowboy (7")' (XTerminator) *16 May 1997 (BFBS): 'Babylon Cowboy (7")' (XTerminator) *22 May 1997 (BFBS) / 23 May 1997 (BFBS): 'Babylon Cowboy (7")' (XTerminator) *27 May 1997: Like Mountain (7") Firehouse Crew *28 May 1997: 'Purified Woman (7")' (Cell Block) *12 June 1997 (BFBS): 'Like Mountain (12")' (Greensleeves) (JP: 'Actually, not quite as wonderful as I thought it was, but it's worth a play, I think.') *19 June 1997 (BFBS): 'Like Mountain (7")' (Firehouse Crew) *24 June 1997: 'Rat Race (7")' (Jamstyle) *26 June 1997: Like Mountain (7") Firehouse Crew *03 July 1997: 'One Away (7")' (Brickwall) *10 July 1997 (BFBS): 'Rat Race (7")' (Jamstyle) *10 July 1997 (BFBS): 'One Away (7")' (Brickwall) *30 July 1997: 'One Away (7")' (Brick Wall) *06 August 1997: ‘Rat Race (7")’ Jamstyle *13 August 1997: It Cost Nothing (7") Cylton *28 August 1997 (BFBS): 'Rat Race (7")' (Jamstyle) *11 September 1997 (BBC World Service): 'Like Mountain (7")' (Firehouse Crew) *10 December 1997: 'Babylon A Use Dem Brain (CD-Black Woman & Child)' (Greensleeves) *16 December 1997: 'Made It So (7")' (Henfield) ;1998 *06 January 1998: 'Made It So' (7") Henfield Records *15 January 1998: Pressure Remix (7") 321 Strong *24 February 1998: 'Clean Up Your Heart (7")' (X-Rated) *03 March 1998: 'I'm Not Sure (7")' (Xterminator) *11 March 1998: 'Clean Up Your Heart (7")' (X-Rated) *12 March 1998 (BBC World Service): 'I'm Not Sure (7")' (Xterminator) *25 March 1998: 'Babylon A Listen (7")' (XTerminator) *March 1998 (FSK): 'Babylon A Listen (7")' (XTerminator) *01 April 1998: 'Babylon A Listen (7")' (XTerminator) *02 April 1998: 'I'm Not Sure (7")' (XTerminator) *28 April 1998: 'Till It Some More (7")' (XTerminator) *07 May 1998: 'Trust And Love (7")' (Digital B) *14 May 1998: 'Till It Some More (7")' (Xterminator) *21 May 1998: 'Define Yourself (7")' (XTerminator) *14 July 1998: 'Competition In Fear (7")' (Hottis Inc.) with Ini Kamoze, Gang Starr & Red Rose (JP: 'An excellent single from Hottis Inc and that's based in, I suppose Kingston in Jamaica...could have been a football record, I'm not quite sure that was the intention.') *30 July 1998: 'Competition In Fear (7")' (Hottis Inc.) with Ini Kamoze, Gang Starr & Red Rose *July 1998 (FSK): 'Competition In Fear (7")' (Hottis Inc.) with Ini Kamoze, Gang Starr & Red Rose *15 September 1998: 'The Disobedient' () *04 November 1998: 'Dem A Try A Ting (CD-Kalonji)' (Xterminator) *03 December 1998: 'On The Battle Field (7")' (Jamastyle) ;1999 *12 January 1999: ‘New Generation (7")’ Xterminator *29 April 1999: 'Dem A Go Suffer (split 7" with Front Page)' (Cali Bud) *26 June 1999: 'Get Rid A Dem (7")' (Xterminator) *26 August 1999 (Radio Eins): 'Ghetto Youth A Suffer (7")' (Firehouse) *09 November 1999: 'Bad Man Deh (7")' (Crown Star) *10 November 1999: 'Brain Wash (7")' (Crown Star) *18 November 1999 (Radio Eins): 'Brain Wash (7")' (Crown Star) *09 December 1999 (Radio Eins): 'Brain Wash (7")' (Crown Star) ;2000 *23 March 2000: 'Life' (Spragga Roots) *29 June 2000 (Radio Eins): Ghetto Youth A Suffer *31 August 2000: 'Food Of Thought' (Single) Star Trail *October 2000 (FSK): 'Powers Of The Earth (7")' (XTerminator) ;2001 *29 May 2001: 'No Slackness (7")' (In The Streetz) *07 June 2001 (Radio Eins): 'No Slackness (7")' (In The Streetz) *17 June 2001 (BBC World Service): No Slackness (7") In The Streetz *12 September 2001: 'Beautiful (CD-Rastafari Teach I Everything)' (Greensleeves) *04 October 2001: 'Rastafari Teach I Everything (7")' (Greensleeves) *21 November 2001: 'Done Nothing For Us (7”)' (Harmony House) *November 2001 (FSK): 'Done Nothing For Us (7")' (Harmony House) *02 December 2001 (BBC World Service): 'Done Nothing For Us (7")' (Harmony House) *06 December 2001: Boom And Go Through (7") Digital Beat *06 December 2001 (Radio Eins): Boom And Go Through (7") Digital Beat *06 December 2001 (Radio Eins): Done Nothing For Us (7") Harmony House ;2003 *24 April 2003: 'These Are The Days (7")' (Blaxxx) *08 May 2003: 'These Are The Days 7" (Blaxxx) *16 May 2003 (BBC World Service): 'These Are The Days (7")' (Blaxxx) *28 August 2003: 'To The Top (7")' (Stone Love) *25 November 2003: 'Can't Cool (Medley) (7")' (Creative Mix) *19 October 2004: 'Subterranean Homesick Blues (LP – Is It Rolling Bob?)' Others *April 2003 (Peel's Record Box): 'These Are The Days' (Blaxxx) External Links *Wikipedia *Discogs *AllMusic Category:Artists